Let me start off by saying I am a lover of all things Kardashian, so when I heard Khloé Kardashian was going to have a new show, I practically cleared my schedule for every Thursday night in the foreseeable future. However, I was more than a little disappointed by the premiere of “Revenge Body with Khloé Kardashian.”
From Kylie’s cosmetic ventures to Kim’s selfie book, I support and usually obsess over anything and everything the Kardashians do and create, which is why I went into the premiere eager to get a glimpse of Khloé changing the bodies and lives of others. What the show provided, though, were cheesy backstories and unimpressive transformations.
The first to meet with Khloé was a man named Will. His backstory about being bullied for his weight in high school unfolds poignantly,but most of the episode is centered around him getting revenge on his ex-boyfriend, who broke up with him after his recent 40-pound weight gain.
After their meeting, Khloé sets Will up with a celebrity trainer, a laser hair removal expert and multiple stylists. Despite getting the full celebrity treatment in addition to losing weight, Will’s final transformation seemed slight.
When it came down to his big reveal party, the aforementioned ex-boyfriend was nowhere to be found, much less to take revenge on.
Next was Stephanie, a teenage girlwho was the self-proclaimed “DUFF” of her friend group. She gave a similar backstory about being bullied in school and was set up with a trainer, dermatologist, makeup artist and hair stylist after a short meeting with Khloè.
In the end, aside from her shorter hair and clearer skin, Stephanie’s body transformation was barely noticeable.
What disappointed me most about this show was Khloé’s lack of involvement. It seems she does little to nothing for the contestants other than put them in touch with a variety of trainers and nutritionists. As for inspiration, she offers nothing more than short, cliché soundbites such as, “Let’s make our haters our biggest motivators.”
I was also disappointed that, rather than the series following the full week-to-week journey of a few contestants, there are new contestants every episode.
This causes producers to cram a month-long makeover into an hour, leaving the audience unable to fully get to know and invest in the contestants’ emotional journeys.
I have no doubt the show will survive simply off of the legion of loyal fans— including myself — that the Kardashians have already amassed. I can only hope future episodes go more in depth with the contestants and show Khloé being much more involved.
“Revenge Body with Khloé Kardashian” airs Thursdays at 7 p.m. on E!